Forever His
by goldenightingale
Summary: It all starts with a favor he owed to KID. Knowing KID, Shinichi had better start preparing for the unexpected. But KID had better be prepared as well. After all, plans never go the way they should be with Shinichi around.
1. Chapter 1

A/N. Yes, um. Hello. I know I should be focusing on my other stories much less START A NEW ONE FROM ANOTHER ANIME, but I can't help it. I was minding my own business, really, then this tantalizing picture flashed before me and BAM. Well, anyway, I will be telling myself that I can't upload any other chapters to this story if I can't update my previous ones so don't worry!

Disclaimer: Nope. I do not own this masterpiece that will never let me sail the ship that I want, so naturally, I'm turning to fanfiction.

 **Forever His**

Chapter 1: The Moon Sees All

"What the hell?!" the yell echoed around the rooftop, the three words carrying an immense amount of disbelief and annoyance.

"Shh!" was the frantic reply, carrying hints of desperation.

The moon appeared from behind the clouds at that moment, highlighting the image of two people on a rooftop. The moon had been witness to many rooftop moments before, mostly couples and proclamations of love to one another. However, this was rooftop moment had to contain the strangest pairing ever. A boy, around the age of 13, was locked in a glaring match with a man, dressed wholly in white.

This pairing wasn't as strange to the moon, however. After all, how many nights had it been witness to the endless chase the mini detective and phantom thief engaged in every time? Usually though, the scene would depict the child with his hands in his pockets, arrogant smirk in place as he proceeded to point out every mistake the thief had overlooked. The thief, in turn, would be facing the detective, one hand holding his prize for the night, and the other cautiously near his card-gun, hidden within his many pockets.

This night, however, was different.

"Tantei-kun, I would be very much obliged if you would keep your voice down." said the phantom thief, bending down to the height of the boy in order to cover his mouth if necessary, the shadows not nearly able to conceal the panic in his voice as well as it did his face.

'Tantei-kun' merely glared, one hand automatically going to his wristwatch on his right, seemingly able to read the other's mind. In response, the thief backed away a bit, straightening up as he did so. The other allowed his hand to fall away from the watch, but added heat behind his glare for recompense.

"You can't tell me you expected me to agree to that stupid idea of yours, can you?"

Edogawa Conan, aka Tantei-kun as dubbed by the thief, asked as he assessed his body language in an effort to read the other's mind. Kaitou 1412, or more popularly known as Kaitou KID, was someone he considered to be his only intellectual rival in the world. He was a challenge, and his tricks and pranks may be a bit childish, but he could appreciate the brainwork that allowed those tricks and pranks to happen. Not that he was ever going to tell him that, as he firmly believed that the thief did not need any more reason to get a bigger ego.

The point was, KID was intelligent. He must have known that Conan wouldn't agree to the stupid thief's equally-as-stupid-idea at all. So why would he offer it in the first place?

Narrowing his eyes, Conan bit out, "Tell me the reason why you want me to lie to Ran and tell her that you are my relative who would be taking care of me for the whole weekend, when Edogawa Conan shouldn't even exist in the first place, much less exist."

Grinning, KID bowed a bit, right hand over his heart as the other pulled the end of his cape to the side dramatically. "Why, Tantei-kun, I merely heard from a lovely bird that Mouri-chan and her father would be attending a wedding this weekend, which is solely for those invited only. Professor Agasa would be showing off his latest new inventions to an upcoming seminar this weekend as well, and the little lady would be accompanying him. That means that you would be staying behind all alone for two whole days! And I, as a gentleman thief, simply cannot allow this to happen to his favorite critic!"

Conan gritted his teeth, "You mean you were spying on me. Again. Using your doves."

Shrugging, KID allowed his grin to widen, "I did say my source was a lovely bird did I not?"

Conan did not allow his glare to fade. "I am not a kid to be taken care of, KID."

Holding behind his teeth a pun to the words that were uttered, KID examined his favorite critic. The mini detective was stoic as ever, but behind his words, he could hear the self-pity and loathing that the detective usually managed to hid well. He knew that Conan—no, Kudo Shinichi—hated the situation he was in, being stuck in a kid's body for almost 6 years now.

Allowing his Poker Face to fall down a bit, KID answered, "I'm simply worried about you Tantei-kun."

Sighing, Conan allowed his aggressive stance to fall completely. "I will be fine, you know. It's not the first time I had been left alone." Inwardly, KID wondered if the mini detective knew how lonely he looked when he said it. He knew that Kudo Shinichi, at 14 years old, had stayed behind while his parents travelled the world. While 14 may be far from being a kid, he must have still missed his parents from time to time, only unable to reach out due to childish pride.

Conan continued, "I'll be staying in my real home during the weekend anyway. It had been a long time since I had visited." In truth, Conan was actually looking forward to this weekend. He would be able to fully let down his guard and imagine that he was Kudo Shinichi and back to his original body size, instead of being Edogawa Conan.

KID pulled out his steal for the night, having already examined it beforehand, and tossed it in the air as he continued to negotiate with the stubborn detective. "That may be true, but remember that this is the payment that I am asking for the last favor that you owed me." Out of the corner of his eye, KID saw Conan stiffen, and grinned inwardly. "You did say that you owed me, and you agreed when I asked that you allow me to ask for anything as long as it would be something you can agree with."

Gritting his teeth, Conan knew that he wouldn't be able to get out of this one. He had honor, damn it, and he did not want to break a promise that he could fulfill. "Fine", he sighed. "I'll tell Ran that you're going to pick me up tomorrow alright?"

With a grin that looked like it would fit more on a psychopath's face (which Conan had experience seeing so he totally knew what he was talking about), KID tossed the jewel to Conan, who easily snatched it out of the air without taking his eyes off KID. Putting it in his pocket, Conan eyed KID in reluctant amusement as he spread his arms wide with his usual dramatic flair.

"Well then, I'll be your cousin from your mother's side who just came from the US, who would be visiting at the request of your mother who misses you but sadly cannot come due to work. I'm Kurosaki Ken, nice to meet you, cousin!"

In a puff of smoke, a blonde guy wearing KID's clothes was standing in front of Conan, who merely deadpanned, "You prepared for this already you bastard." With another puff of smoke, KID was back again, wearing his monocle and hat as usual. "Why of course, my dear Tantei-kun! Who would I be if I wasn't prepared to drag you by force if I had to?"

Glaring, Conan aimed his watch at KID again, "Go away now KID. I need sleep if I'm going to have to deal with you for the next two days without break. The police has probably figured out by now that the one they are chasing is just a dummy and would come storming to this rooftop in seconds."

Laughing, KID hopped backwards until he was on top of the railing on the edge of the rooftop. "I knew you cared about me Tantei-kun! Why, it warms my heart to hear your concern for my safety and well-being coming directly from your lips!"

Unable to stop the blush that had spread on his face, Conan flipped the cover of the watch and aimed at the thief, "Will you just go already, Barou!" Flipping backwards, KID engaged his glider, flying upwards and away, still chuckling at the memory of his favorite critic's blushing face.

And as always, only the moon was able to see the soft, fond smile on the one left behind on the rooftop, and the equally fond smile on the one flying away.

* * *

End of Chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Breaking a Sweat

"Where have you been?" was the question that greeted Conan as he opened the door to the Mouri Detective Agency. Hunching his shoulders, Conan turned around to face Ran, who stood with her hands on her hips and a glare on her face.

"A-ah, Ran-neechan. T-tadaima." Conan stuttered out the greeting as he shuffled backwards, gaze suddenly fixated on the floorboards near her feet. Internally, he was screaming his head off as he searched for excuses. Normally, he would answer that he was at Agasa's place, but Ran knew that Agasa was currently with his fellow scientists who had asked for his opinion on an invention they were developing, and Haibara had insisted on coming with them. Apparently, Haibara explained as she fixed a glare on the professor, food would be provided by the hosts, and she didn't trust the professor to stay away from junk food.

"I was, uh, just outside?" Conan tried, one hand rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he smiled weakly at Ran.

Ran continued to hold her pose for a few more seconds (dragging out more sweat out of the silently-panicking-boy) before she sighed and turned back towards the kitchen area. "Mou, you're just as bad as Otou-san when it comes to cases."

Scrambling to follow, Conan replied, "Ah, I wasn't really involved in any—." He stopped as Ran pinned him with a glare again. "Sonoko is still my best friend despite being engaged to Makoto-kun, you know. Of course I knew there was going to be a KID heist!"

Giving up on finding excuses, Conan plopped down on the floor muttering his thanks as he started eating his dinner, heated by Ran. Meanwhile, the former karate champion continued on her rant, "Even though I told you I wanted you back before 9:00! I even texted and called you! Seriously!"

Lowering his gaze back to his dinner, Conan muttered a weak apology as Ran leaned an arm on the table. "Well, I'm just glad you were in one of KID's heist instead of running around elsewhere; at least there, I knew you would still be able to come home in one piece."

Narrowing her eyes, Ran asked, "But what were you doing though? I expected you at least an hour earlier than this at least. Sonoko was yelling something about KID ending the show in just a matter of minutes, immediately engaging the police into a chase; did you sneak past the police again? Mou, Conan-kun! I can't even imagine the amount of trouble you'll be in this weekend!"

Anxious not get another scolding, Conan tried to change the subject. "Ah! That's right! Actually, Okaa-san wanted to come visit me again, but she wouldn't be able to come this weekend. So, she sent Ken-nii-san, my cousin from the US! He'll pick me up tomorrow morning!"

Ran blinked in surprise, "Ken-nii-san? From the US? And he'll take care of you starting tomorrow?" Conan waved his hand up and down, "No no, only for this weekend. Nii-san won't be staying here for long after all. But at least I won't be alone, right!"

Ran hummed in agreement. To tell the truth, she was planning on hiring a babysitter to take care of Conan for the weekend. Knowing that Conan wouldn't have appreciated that at all ("I'm 13 already! I'm fine!"), she tried to ask around their friends, but it seemed as if they were all busy this weekend and couldn't do it. Her last resort was actually asking Division 1 to keep him company, as Conan was considered their mascot by now with all his involvement in numerous cases. This arrangement with a cousin was a lucky coincidence.

Actually, Ran narrowed her eyes at the boy she had considered as her pseudo-brother for the last 6 years, it was too much of a coincidence.

Ran had witnessed as the years passed that Conan looked more and more like Shinichi, too much to just be a distant relative. Time and time again, she confronted Conan about being Shinichi, but time and time again, she was proven wrong. But moments like this reminded her of her suspicions, and doubts couldn't help but rise once more.

"Ho? This 'Ken-nii-san' is your cousin huh? What does he look like?"

Conan swallowed the last of his food, stalling for time, as he desperately pulled out every acting skills he had to appear excited instead of panicked at the question.

"He's blond! Kinda like Subaru-nii-san actually, but brighter! His bangs are swept to the side though, and his face is much more angular than Subaru nii-san's. He's just as slim as him though, kinda like a model!" Putting as much excitement as he can into the words he said to impart the image of a boy excited to see his cousin again, Conan mentally prayed that there were no bugs or spy-doves around the area as he said the last part. Though it was true that KID had used a mask for his face, he hadn't altered his body structure at all, and mentioning that he was like a model was sure to make a few consecutive heists hell for him should a certain phantom thief hear him say that.

Suspicions lessening a bit, Ran didn't fully let down her guard though. Conan, possibly Shinichi, was capable of memorizing anyone's face on the street and recall it for the purpose of portraying him as a cousin. No, she needed more proof.

"What's he like, then?"

"Um, he's pretty perky I guess." Conan started as he tried to think on what to say. 'Ken' was KID's character after all, and the thief hadn't really shared much about the disguise. Gears turned as Conan reviewed the moment when KID had introduced his new character. Though he was loath to admit it, KID was good at making disguises, and was capable of immersing completely in a role. From the way he introduced himself as Ken, Conan deduced that 'Ken' would be pretty similar to how KID was usually, just more casual instead of formal that KID had going.

"He likes teasing people, but he doesn't really mean anything bad about it. He's a natural charmer though, but he doesn't lead people on. He can be pretty annoying though! When that happens, I just tend to ignore him, so he doesn't bother me much."

Conan smiled at Ran, simultaneously praying that she would believe him at the same time as willing his cheeks not to heat up. He was originally planning on badmouthing KID as much as he can as revenge for forcing him into this situation in the first place, but he found himself justifying it in the end. He didn't really want to examine it closely, instead noting that it was a pretty believable description for an actual human being, and should convince Ran.

Ran couldn't help the smile that was spread across her face though. She was now completely convinced that Ken was an actual person, and was glad that Conan had someone he admired other than Shinichi. Because that was what this Ken person is to Conan; someone to admire. She didn't know if Conan realized it, but as he described his Ken-nii-san, his eyes were shining the whole time, and a smirk was on his lips, even though he was insulting him half of the time.

Oh well. Ran knew that Conan could be a very good judge of character, and he really admired this person, then she knew that he would be in good hands for the rest of the weekend.

Conan broke through Ran's musings when he yawned, reminding Ran that she had an early day ahead of her tomorrow. Glancing at the clock, Ran was surprised to see it just 10 minutes after midnight. No wonder her eyelids felt so heavy!

"Go sleep now Conan-kun. I'll probably still be able to meet this Ken-nii-san of yours tomorrow morning before we leave. Did your mother mention what time he'd be here?"

Blinking, Conan shook his head. "No, all that was said was that he'll be here in the morning though." Sighing in exasperation, Ran shooed Conan towards the room he shared with Kogoro. "Well, I'm sure we'll still be able to catch him before we have to leave; Otou-san went drinking earlier and would be annoying to deal with in the morning. Now, off to bed with you. Oyasumi!"

"Oyasumi!" Conan called, before shutting the door, only to be met by the snores of Kogoro who was spread-eagled as usual on the bed.

Snorting softly, Conan readied his futon as he went about preparing to sleep. When he finished, he was fully prepared to sleep the moment his head hit the pillow, but was interrupted by his Conan-phone vibrating:

 _"_ _Sleep well, cousin!"_ Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Conan couldn't help the small smile on his face as he texted back. _"Barou. Go to sleep. Good night."_

* * *

End of Chapter 2.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Mother's Worries

Kuroba Kaito creeped out his mother as he walked down the stairs of their house early that morning. Though it was already established that Kaito would always be a prankster ("Magician, 'Kaa-san, magician!") who loved to embarrass people as much as he can, Kuroba Chikage knew that Kaito only did so to cheer people up (though a certain Hakuba Saguru might beg to differ).

Chikage eyed her son as he sat down to eat his breakfast after giving her his customary kiss on the cheek, still grinning maniacally. Kaito usually only smiled like that if he had something big planned, and that something also usually tends to be completely embarrassing to his target.

She could still remember one of the times when he grinned like that. At the end of the day, the sweets shop owner that had tried to cheat the money out of his customers by making them pay overpriced chocolates had left Ekoda immediately. Not before giving up his whole store and its contents to her son. For free.

Shaking her head, Chikage continued to eye her son warily. She loved her son, she really did, but sometimes he was worse than his father when he wanted something done. Said son, feeling her gaze on him, looked up and innocently tilted his head at her, smile becoming a bit more confused instead of manic.

Taking a moment to regret not having her camera with her, Chikage narrowed her eyes at Kaito. Her son may look cute, but she wasn't fooled. It was that smile!

"Kaito, what are you planning?"

Face turning more confused, Kaito lowered his chopsticks, pouting at his mother as he did so. "What do you mean what am I planning?"

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to pry out any more details from him, Chikage decided to wait for the inevitable to happen. "Whatever it is you're planning, make sure to keep me out of it. And the Nakamoris as well. You know KID had planned a heist last night, and the father-daughter duo got home very late."

Face sobering for a second, Kaito replied, "I know."

But only for a second.

"Don't worry~! My plan has nothing to do with them at all! In fact ~ my target isn't even in Ekoda!" Kaito declared, standing up from his seat and putting his dirty dishes in the sink.

"Oh? And pray tell, who would this target be?"

"Why, it's none other than a very cute mini detective that's waiting for me for our date!"

If Chikage hadn't been the Phantom Lady, she would have spit out her drink and choked on it already. As it was, father and son weren't the only one with a good Poker Face, and she calmly continued drinking her tea.

"Mini detective? He wouldn't happen to be the boy called the 'KID Killer', would he?"

Kaito's manic grin made a reappearance, and Chikage didn't need to ask. Of course Kaito would be very attached to the boy. Edogawa Conan was a challenge to KID, and continuously proved it in every heist that he was present. He was intelligent, on par with KID and pushed him to improvise and change his plans at least 10 times before he could safely escape.

At first, Chikage had been worried about this odd attachment that Kaito had with the mini detective. After all, KID was still a criminal and internationally wanted; a detective with a deep sense of justice that Conan showed would not be forgiving to a thief like Kaito. And she didn't think she could take it if she lost her son for the same reason that she lost her husband.

So as a mother that only wanted to protect her son, she had investigated Edogawa Conan. And she found out the secret behind the boy with the large glasses that concealed his eyes from the world completely.

She had found some paperwork detailing his birth, as well as a DNA sample. Normally, it would look fine to an ordinary observer, but Chikage did her research, and she did it well. The documents had only been entered 6 years ago, and not 13 years as it should have been. In other words, Edogawa Conan existed only 6 years ago.

However, other than that, she could find no more anomalies about Edogawa Conan. With panic clawing at her at the remembrance of her husband's death, Chikage had confronted her son about it:

 _"_ _He's not what you think he is! He has secrets, Kaito, and I refuse to let you be endangered by someone that shouldn't have even existed!"_

 _Kaito's eyes softened, "'Kaa-san, I know."_

 _Chikage stiffened, "What?"_

 _Sighing, Kaito ruffled his hair, messing it up even more. "I don't know how, but Kudo Shinichi shrunk. He's been hiding ever since."_

 _Chikage connected the dots easily. But she wasn't convinced yet. Before she could speak, however, Kaito raised his head, staring straight into her eyes, "And for some reason, he's also chasing down the same crows that I am."_

 _Breath caught in her throat, Chikage sat down slowly into a chair. Kaito continued, "And he's been doing it alone."_

That was the moment that Chikage knew that Kudo Shinichi needed help, and that help was going to be in the form of KID. She had been friends with Yukiko after all, and as a mother, she knew the relief that comes from knowing that your child wouldn't be alone in his fight.

Because Kaito was alone in his fight too. And she hoped that by working together, their chances of remaining safe would increase, and they would be able to bring down the organization. And they did, and she would never regret letting Kaito get attached to Shinichi for it.

Though if Kaito knew just how attached he was to Shinichi was still up for debate. She really couldn't blame him though; Shinichi somehow looked even cuter as he grew up again for the second time.

* * *

A/N: Sorry if you find any errors or misspelled words, I didn't have the time to double check as I just wanted to have this posted already. I can't wait for the weekend-date to happen! Though of course Shinichi still doesn't know it's a date. -_-

Anyway, anyone noticed how I changed frequently from Conan to Shinichi? Though they are the same, Conan is still another identity altogether, so I have to still use Conan most of the time.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Recollections

Bouncing out of the house, Kaito waved farewell to his mother. At 21 years of age, people might think that it was weird for him to still remain in his parents' house and not move out already. He himself had thoughts of moving out, but whenever he would try to broach the subject with his mother, he couldn't seem to open his mouth.

Sighing, Kaito's hype from this morning died down a little as he walked towards the train station. His mother may not admit (may never admit it), but he knew that she missed his father with the same intensity she had missed him for 13 years now. Coming back to their house where she knew Kato was there to welcome her home lessened some of her longing, but it was never enough. She may no longer be hurt as deeply as before, but she still missed him.

And Kaito missed him as well.

That house was where his father used to practice his tricks, where they used to play around the house playing pranks against each other, and where he was greeted by his family after every successful performance. Until that fateful day when his father just couldn't go home anymore.

Boarding the train, Kaito pulled down his hat on his head a bit lower to hide his face.

It was all that Organization's fault.

After 5 years of collaboration with his Tantei-kun, they had finally managed to bring down the Black Organization. It had only been successful because of Tantei-kun, and his contact: Vermouth. At first, Kaito refused to work with the woman. Especially when he learned that the former actress had his father as her mentor of disguises.

To him, learning that one of his father's apprentice used the skills she had learned for the Organization that had killed his father was devastating. He couldn't keep up his Poker Face for long whenever he had to witness her disguise skills; everytime she used them, he was reminded of her late father, and the flames as it covered his father's body from his sight. It had sparked one of his biggest fights with Tantei-kun.

 _"_ _I'm not going to work with her." KID smiled, but Conan could see that it was a sharp smile, one that could cut you if you got too close._

 _Conan sighed, ruffling his hair in frustration. "I know it's going to be hard—."_

 _"_ _No, Tantei-kun", KID cut in, "you don't know at all."_

 _Conan seethed. "I have already considered many other options before I asked you, KID. I wouldn't have asked you to do this if I thought anybody else could do it. Don't question me."_

 _KID raised an eyebrow, "Do not forget, Tantei-kun. I may have offered my help, but that doesn't mean that I cannot retract it. I am not working with this woman, and that is my final answer."_

 _"_ _Using you for this operation is the only choice if we want to make sure everybody gets out alive! Put away your anger just for this one operation, idiot!" Conan snapped, nearly shouting as his frustration with the thief raised._

 _KID glared at him, monocle flashing in the light as his one visible eye burned with anger, "Then what? You want me to risk my life with her? I'm not going to do that." Kneeling down to the boy's height, he continued, "I'm going to leave her behind if I think it's convenient to do so, and I'm not going to regret it one bit."_

 _Conan stayed silent for a few seconds, eyes staring out from behind those dorky glasses as he tried to figure out how serious the thief was with his words._

 _Finally, in a faint voice, he replied, "There's nobody else I trust but you to do this."_

 _And that was that._

Kaito sighed as he remembered the serious face of his detective that night. He thought it was unfair that Conan just had to speak a few words and he'd be willing to do whatever he asked. He had managed to curb his anger and perform his role perfectly, and though he may not be able to be as companiable to Vermouth as Conan was, he was able to converse with her pleasantly enough.

It was Vermouth after all, who had revealed that Snake was not with the Black Organization that Conan was hunting down. Rather, their Organization was simply one of the many other organizations that was under the Black Organization.

 _"_ _That makes complete sense." Conan murmured._

 _"_ _What?" KID replied, still stricken with the idea that Vermouth had information about the people that had murdered his father._

 _"_ _Snake is sloppy, and had already allowed you to see him way too many times. If Gin heard about it, Snake would have been dead long ago." He explained._

 _Vermouth smiled, a very sarcastic smile that made KID raise his guard up instinctively. "The only reason why Gin still hadn't heard about it was because of their boss. Anokata was the type to get rid of problems immediately, but Panther couldn't afford losing any of his agents. The moment Gin hears about this, you wouldn't even have to lift a finger to destroy them."_

 _Conan stiffened at his side. "Gin would annihilate them immediately."_

 _"_ _Correct, my Silver Bullet."_

 _"_ _That's what you're here for aren't you; Gin is about to receive his orders to destroy them, and you want us to know about it."_

 _KID narrowed his eyes in thought. "It will give us a chance; while Gin is busy destroying them, we might be able to get one up over the Black Organization themselves."_

 _"_ _Very good, my Phantom!" Vermouth mockingly clapped her hands at him._

 _"_ _Do we take that chance?" KID asked Conan. He knew that Conan would rather catch them alive, but he also knew that they couldn't let this chance go by._

 _Conan thought for a moment, before raising his head to look at the thief, "What do you want to do KID?"_

 _He was taken aback. "You're the brains of this operation, Tantei-kun. I am merely here to provide support."_

 _Conan glanced at Vermouth, who tilted her head at the silent order before leaving the room. When the door closed, Conan looked at KID once more. "The Black Organization is my problem, and that means that your organization is also part of my problem. But you have a personal problem with Snake, and I can't just make a plan without including you in it."_

 _Eyes softening in comprehension, KID walked over to the chair Conan was sitting on before kneeling. Taking Conan's hands into his, KID spoke, "I want him gone, Tantei-kun. Snake is the representation of the death of my father, and every heist I hold, I have to constantly be reminded that Snake can kill me anytime. I live in fear waiting for him to connect the dots and figure out that Kaitou KID had a son."_

 _Tightening his grip, KID looked up at Conan. "But I also know that I want him to pay for his crimes completely. And death would not be the answer to that."_

 _Conan held his gaze for a long moment before squeezing his hands that were wrapped around his small ones._

 _"_ _I'll catch him for you."_

 _"_ _There's nobody else I trust but you to do this." KID repeated, and Conan smiled._

As the train pulled up to Beika, Kaito squeezed his hand shut. Later, one Kurosaki Ken was seen leaving the train, and no sign of Kuroba Kaito.

* * *

A/N: So I was planning to torture Shin-chan, but Kaito decided to stroll down memory lane. I couldn't stop him. Damn it, I'm making him blush on the next chapter. YOU JUST WAIT KAITO! Also, sorry for the wait, I was... doing something. More likely procrastinating. Yep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Not a Morning Person

Kurosaki Ken walked down the streets towards the Mouri Detective Agency. People stared as he passed them, and not just because he was obviously foreigner with his blonde hair and blue eyes. Dressed in a white polo shirt topped with a light blue jacket, paired with faded denim jeans and sneakers, most people couldn't help but admire his form (coughASSetscough). Grinning inwardly, Kaito maintained his Ken façade as he stopped in front of his destined building.

In actuality, he made little effort on the Ken character. He had two days with his favorite mini detective after all! He didn't want to spend that time hiding behind masks. And though he had an inkling that Conan already knew about his civilian persona, he still couldn't go as Kuroba Kaito. After all, Mouri Ran hadn't spent most of her life surrounded by detectives (both good and bad ones) without picking up a few tricks. How many times had he saved Conan's identity by faking to be Kudo Shinichi?

Even then, going as Kuroba Kaito would create more problems. He looked too much like Kudo Shinichi, and though Conan had mentioned once that Mouri-chan already moved on, he didn't like the idea of seeing the love that she still had for her childhood friend. It soured his stomach, and it felt like only a week of relentless pranking on Hakuba would cure it.

Shaking off the nerves, Kaito—no, Kurosaki Ken bounded up the stairs, knocking on the door cheerfully.

"Coming", came the muffled reply. He only had to wait for a few seconds before the door opened, revealing Mouri-chan. She stared at him for a few seconds before smiling at him warmly, "Kurosaki Ken?"

Nodding, Ken offered his hand _(No magic tricks, no magic tricks)_ before introducing himself. "Right! You must be the lovely Ran that Conan is staying with, yeah?" He had a faint accent, but spoke fairly well in Japanese. Though surprised at first at the abrupt use of her first name, Ran had travelled enough (and bugged enough by a detective geek) that she was familiar with the Westerner's custom.

Clasping his hand in a handshake, Ran greeted, "Mouri Ran, erm, Ran Mouri, but Mouri is my last name."

Opening the door wider, Ran invited Ken in. "That's right! I heard that you would be taking care of Conan-kun for the two days that we are gone. I'm actually really glad about that, you know? I was thinking about hiring a babysitter for him." She rolled her eyes, gesturing Ken to sit. "And of course, Conan-kun wouldn't have liked that, so really, I'm grateful you're here."

Laughing loudly, Ken asked, "A babysitter? Conan would have ran her off instantly!" Chuckling, he paused to nod in thanks at the offered tea before continuing, "But why would you think Conan would need one? He's old enough, and smart enough to know better." ( _Of course he is, he was the mastermind behind the fall of one of the oldest and largest organizations after all.)_

Sighing, Ran sat down on the opposite couch. "That's exactly the problem. He's way too smart. He gets into trouble easily because of that. I was actually thinking of asking Inspector Megure to take care of him for two days as Plan B."

Ken grinned widely at the thought ( _Megure-keibu? The District 1 does see him as a mascot though_.), "He did that often back in America as well. He's such a trouble magnet."

Ran giggled at that. "Isn't he?"

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Mouri Kogoro. "Ran! Is that brat's cousin still not here?" Upon rounding the corner, Kogoro was startled to find another man in the room.

"Good morning! I'm Ken-ah, Kurosaki Ken. Nice to meet you!"

Kogoro waved off the greeting. "The brat's still trying to wake up. So, where are you and the brat staying for the weekend?"

Ken replied, "Actually, we'll be touring around. It's been a long time since Conan and I have bonded ( _Poker face, Poker face_ ) and I know if we stay indoors he'll just be reading his books or something."

"That's true." Kogoro's gaze sharpened for a few seconds as he stared at Ken, "Well, just take care of the brat. And keep an eye on him. He pulls off a disappearing act every few seconds."

Ken chuckled _(So he does care for him huh?_ ), "Of course! I'll be keeping both eyes on him for the whole trip."

"Ran-nee-chan? Kogori-ji-san?"

Ken had to be abruptly frozen as Kaito squealed (inwardly). The mini detective was rubbing his eyes, eyeglasses bumped upwards. Though Conan was still pre-teen and not the adolescent he had been as Shinichi, Kaito could already see that puberty hit him well. Kaito understood well why Mouri-chan continued to have suspicions of who Conan really is. But instead of the absolute gorgeousness that Shinichi had exuded, Conan had fully mastered the cuteness-overload that he had going for him when he first started.

Struggling to contain his urge to whip out his phone and take pictures, Kaito—Ken, go back to Ken—smiled and greeted his cousin. "Hey Conan! Long time no see huh?"

Blinking rapidly, Conan adjusted his glasses ( _Awww, was that a yawn?_ ) and replied, "Huh?"

"Still not a morning person huh? It's me, your favorite cousin!"

Ran chuckled, having finished adjusting her father's tie and now urging Conan towards his breakfast. Kogoro just grumbled, but disappeared downstairs to put their luggage in his rented car. "He's never that much awake when he knows he has nothing to do the next day. It's a pain getting him out of bed during the weekends."

Ken followed Conan to the table, leaning his cheek on one hand as he watched Conan sleepily eat his food. "Don't worry, it's nothing that I'm not used to." (He had one episode of this when we were still drafting plans to bring down the Organization. That certainly wasn't enough for me!)

"Well then, now that you're here, we have to get going as well." Ran said, patting Conan's head and standing by the doorway as she made to leave.

Ken followed her to the door, and said, "Have fun! I'll make sure to return Conan in one piece!" Ran giggled, and waved off, running to her dad who gave Ken another look, and raised a hand in farewell.

Ken waved them off, and after closing the door, went back to his favorite detective.

Said detective was still playing with his food, and was slowly nodding off. Chuckling, Ken—or Kaito, he was allowed to be Kaito for now isn't he?—gently reached out and combed Conan's hair, paying attention to the cowlick and marveling at its refusal to be orderly.

"Hmmm. KID?"

"Nuh-uh, Tantei-kun. It's Ken, remember?"

"Hmmm."

A chuckle.

"When you're not Ken, what do you want me to call you?"

Still combing his hand through the boy's silky hair, Kaito gave no hint to his frazzled nerves. "Well, KID is still my name, so I suppose that could work too."

Conan remained still under his ministrations for a few more beats. Then, without warning, he tilted his head back, eyeglasses sliding down the bridge of his nose, giving Kaito an unobstructed view of Conan's marvelous blue eyes.

"What about Kaitou?"

Hands freezing near the side of Conan's head, it took Kaito a few seconds before he was able to resume his self-appointed task.

"If you think it fits."

Conan stared at him before his lips curled in a smirk. "Ka-i-tou."

As blood rushed to his cheeks, Kaito made a note in the back of his mind that he'll die during the weekend with his favorite critic.

 _Cause of death: Blood loss due to numerous nosebleeds_

 _Murderer: Kudo Shinichi aka Edogawa Conan_

* * *

A/N: As an apology for the delay, a slightly longer chapter.

Also, the italics inside the parentheses are Kaito's thoughts, like a subconscious thing when Ken is the main character. Or something.

[EDIT: Sorry about that guys, didn't notice that I didn't click the right doc. Thanks for noticing that!]


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Where do you want to go?

After Conan had woken up suitably enough and had managed to finish his breakfast, he decided that it was time to ask KID about his plans. Bringing his used dishes to the sink and starting to wash them, he was unsurprised to find KID stand next to him, ready to the dry the dishes.

"Well? What's your plan for the day?"

"Hmm." KID, ah no he was Kaitou for now, replied. "Well, as I told your Ran-neechan earlier, I just want you to show me around Beika for now. I did plan on going to other places like Osaka for a change of scenery if you'd like though."

Conan snorted, passing the finished dishes to Kaitou. "Osaka? No way. Hattori's going to be there, and I'd rather finish at least one day without solving a murder case."

Kaitou grimaced, remembering how Conan's bad luck somehow managed to triple when around Hattori. Though Hattori was not included in the final takedown of the Organization, he was kept well informed by Conan, and visited as much as he can. The last few weeks that the Osakan visited them before he was banned from doing so in order to keep the Organization's suspicions off of him, Conan refused to step a foot outside the Kudo house with Hattori.

It was fully backed up by Division 1, with Sato asking Conan and Hattori to visit at least someplace other than Beika. They had, somehow, managed to stumble on five murder cases and one attempted kidnapping. All on the same day.

"Well, would you be fine in just showing me around Beika then?" Kaitou asked as he was handed the last dish to be dried.

Conan glanced at him, smirking. "And give you a visual blueprint to Beika for your next heist? I don't think so." Kaitou grinned back, an all-out KID smile that left no doubt in Conan's mind that should he have agreed, the police would be losing sight of KID immediately if he decided to use the streets as his form of escape.

"Where do you want to go then?" Kaitou asked, and hurriedly continued, "You can't just say that you want to rest at home either."

Conan rolled his eyes, "If we want this day to go smoothly, we shouldn't even go out at all. My curse is going to strike sooner or later anyway."

Kaitou rolled his eyes back. "Not with me you don't. Lady Luck loves me enough to spare some for you if you're near me. I'm her favorite human after all!"

Conan crossed his arms, one eyebrow raised teasingly. "So if I want to live a case-free life I should just stay next to you forever then? Should I marry you at some point?"

Kaitou had never been more thankful for his Poker Face that day, as his mind happily supplied images of Conan looking the same way he did earlier. Just in bed. And much older, his conscience slapped back. He managed to simply smile, hoped drool didn't slip out, and said, "Same-sex marriage isn't legal in Japan yet."

That startled a laugh out of Conan, and Kaitou's breath caught at the way he tossed his head back and exposed his elegant neck. Conan pushed up his glasses then, hand dubbing at the small tears at the corner of his eyes, exposing to Kaitou an unobscured view of lit up sapphire jewels. "Should we go out of country then?"

Kaitou kneeled dramatically on the floor, one hand on his chest over his heart, and the other raised towards Conan. "I'll go anywhere you want to go, and I'll be happy, my darling tantei-kun"

Conan stared down at him with some exasperation mixed with the mirth in his eyes. He looked to be debating whether or not to kick him, but Kaitou noted with no small amount of delight that pink had suffused his cheeks.

He grinned wildly, and used both hands to gather Conan's hands in his own, planning on making his detective imitate a tomato before they leave. "I'll brave the fires of hell for you my love! But take heed, we no longer need to aim for the heavens, for I had found one of their angels with you by my side."

By the end of his mini-speech, Conan had turned so red that a tomato would have been jealous. His sharp eyes caught the tantalizing sight of the redness going down his shirt, and he had half a mind to wonder how low it could get, before his hands were squeezed in warning by the detective.

Immediately releasing his grip in fear of any retaliatory kicks, Kaitou stood up and backed away slightly from the still-red detective. "Now now, tantei-kun. It was within my rights to do that! You kept putting down my suggestions!"

Inwardly, Kaitou eeped when he found that his hands were still in the clutches of the detective, who he was pretty sure was going from red-with-embarrassment to red-with-anger at this point. "Magician's hands! Be careful-–"

He was cut off by the sudden mischievous smirk that appeared on Conan's face, and though Kaitou would like to appreciate the sight of a smiling and blushing tantei-kun, he wouldn't do so with his hands on the line. He was just about to kneel down and beg for forgiveness, when Conan pulled the least expected move yet.

He brought forward Kaitou's hands together towards his face, and gently placed a kiss on the knuckles. Raising his head to look at Kaitou, Conan stared at him directly as his glasses slid down his nose, and said, "As long as I'm with you, I'll be happy wherever we go."

Kaitou was sure he could be forgiven for losing his Poker Face and dropping his jaw to gape at Conan in shock. Blood had rushed to his face again, and Kaitou faintly thought that this time he couldn't stop a nosebleed from coming since Conan still had a grip on his hands. Hands that he had kissed. _Kissed!_

When Conan was satisfied with the amount of redness that covered the magician's face he dropped their hands and proceeded to his bedroom, calling out over his shoulder, "I'll go get ready then, okay?"

Kaitou had been able to bring together scraps of his Poker Face to weakly rebut, "Don't pack too much!" and was answered by a smirk that was usually only seen on KID's face. Once he was sure that the door had closed behind his detective, Kaitou dropped down to the floor, silently whimpering in his head.

'So unfair!'

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the late chapter. So have some fluff! Also, I'm still split about letting Shin-chan remain as Conan, or get back his life as Kudo. Let me know how you feel about it!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Interruptions #1

Kaito had just pulled out his backpack from seemingly nowhere when Conan returned to the room, having changed to casual clothes and carrying a backpack with him. He smiled at the pre-teen, previous embarrassment compartmentalized by Poker Face for the moment. He really did appreciate how Conan preferred wearing more casual clothes compared to the formal suit wear he had seen Shinichi wear in some newspaper clippings.

Wearing denim jeans, and the KID part of his brain immediately took notice of the familiar ball-belt and powered-sneakers, an opened checkered polo over a loose white shirt, Conan was the epitome of boyish youth. The glasses he wore merely emphasized the look, instead of the expected nerdy look the oversized spectacles brought to mind. How his tantei-kun managed to pull that off, he only had the boy's naturally good genes to blame.

Conan gestured towards the backpack in the magician's hands, slightly amused. "I think this marks the first time I've actually seen you with your tools, Kaitou."

Kaito grinned, only the knowledge that Conan was referring to the _Kaitou_ of Kaitou KID allowing his heart to remain calm. ( _Or is he? Dammit, I hate feeling like a detective_.) "Oh, but this is for Kurosaki Ken, cousin." Rolling his eyes, Conan slung his pack over his shoulder. "Well, anyway, have you figured out where to go?"

Kaito jumped to his feet, hand itching to ruffle the mini-detective's hair, self-preservation stopping him from actually doing so. "I might have heard of a carnival just near Beika. It seems that they have a mystery theme going on, are you interested? We can take the train and get there in just a few minutes. After that," Kaito flung his arms outwards, ever the showsman, "We'll go where the winds will take us!"

A soft smile graced Conan's lips. He was still his parent's son after all, and he knew the allure of travelling as much as he knew his wayward parents. He simply needed stability as well, whereas his parents were content to hop from one continent to another constantly. Though, Ran was still a bigger part of his decision to stay rather than come with his parents.

Seeing the smile made Kaiot content, happy that one of his numerous backup plans had worked. As KID going to new places were always tempered with the need to scout for escape routes, and enjoying the scenery was brief, only a few seconds at the most.

"Then let's go! The world awaits!" Kaito bounded towards the door, only to snatch his hand back when it opened, and three people entered.

"Conan-kun! Let's play!"

Kaito had to immediately slam his Poker Face back on, bringing Kurosaki Ken to the surface. ( _Right, Conan's cousin from America. Graduate student, majored in Physics. Fun-loving, mischievous. Here with Conan for the weekend_.)

Meanwhile, Conan stepped forward to confront the intruders, giving Kaito time to fully immerse into Ken. "You guys! Why are you here? And aren't we too old to play?" came Conan's exasperated reply. Ayumi giggled, hands behind her back as she said. "Ai-chan told me to check on you, saying that you'd be 'up to no good' if you were left alone." Conan pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, muttering, "What the heck Haibara? That demon spawn."

Apparently, he hadn't muttered low enough, as Mitsuhiko gasped in affront, taking offence for the missing person of the Detective Boys group.

"Who are you?" The rude question was directed to Kaito—Ken—by Genta, who was pointing a finger at him accusingly.

"Yo! I'm Kurosaki Ken, you can call me Ken-nii-chan!" Tilting his head towards Conan, he confirmed. "That's the right suffix, I hope?"

Conan tugged at his ear in irritation, having been forced to listen to Mitsuhiko's aggressive defense of Haibara's character. "Yeah, don't worry Ken-nii," Kaito was only mildy surprised to find Conan was able to adjust to his character change easily, "These are my classmates; Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko."

"Oi Conan!" Genta yelled. "You're not doing our introduction right!"

"What?" Mitsuhiko spluttered, turning red in embarrassment. "We're doing that? No way!" Ayumi pouted. "Aw, why not? We're the Detective Boys and proud of it!"

Ken smiled, putting one hand on Conan's shoulder. "The Detective Boys? Ah, I've heard about you guys! COna has shared some stories about you before."

"He had?" Ayumi's cheeks flushed pink. (Kaito snickered inwardly at Conan's embarrassed suffering face. _So Ojou-san still has that crush on him huh? And he calls me Casanova_.)

Mitsuhiko frowned at the obvious crush the girl has for Conan, slight jealousy tainting his voice as he asked, "He did? Who are you to Conan-kun then?"

( _What a loaded question_. Kaito internally mused the many ways he could answer as Ken introduced himself cheerfully. _Thief to his detective? Ally to his cause? Friends bonded over similar fates? Lover-_ )

Kaito had to struggle to keep Ken on his face as his brain screeched to a halt. Nope. No brain. Not going there. He was pretty sure he didn't like Tantei-kun like _that_. Nope.

He was relieved to focus on the question Ayumi asked him. "So where are you gonna take Conan-kun for the weekend?" He leaned down slightly, smile not showing the strain of his thoughts as he pushed back Kaito and brought back Ken, "Well, I just wanted to spend some time with my favorite cousin, you know? So we're probably just gonna go around touring some places that we'd both like. We were actually about to go to a carnival, and we'd probably stay at some hotel for the night."

The three pre-teens were suitably awed by Conan's cousin who looked like a foreigner, and was rich enough to spend money on a one-night stay for a hotel. Ken preened at the attention, standing back up to his full height. Mitsuhiko asked, "That's amazing! Are you going to go back to America after the weekend then?" He pointed to the backpack that Ken was carrying. "You can probably only fit a few days' clothes in there, so you musn't be staying long in Japan?"

Ken chuckled at the observation. They were friends with Conan alright. "Eh?" Ayumi questioned. "You're only staying for two days? But it's our summer vacation you know! Don't you want to spend some more time with Conan-kun?" With her hands on her hips, Ayumi directed a disappointed stare at him. Just a few more years and he was sure that the girl would be able to bring men down on their knees. As it was, he could only shrug and say, "Unfortunately so. That's why I'm not letting him stay inside the house for the rest of my stay."

Genta pushed Conan on his shoulder, "That's right! You gotta drag him out! Make sure you don't go inside a bookstore either!"

"That's right!" Ayumi clapped her hands in glee. "Can we come with you guys to the carnival? We can give you tips on how to handle him then!"

Ken smiled at Conan's reply of, "How to handle? Haibara's been brainwashing you too much!", but inwardly, Kaito frowned. While he did appreciate the fact that Conan's friends cared for him so much, the point of this whole weekend was to allow Conan to breathe for a while. Being around his pre-teen friends would only force Conan to keep his act up.

Thankfully, Mitsuhiko shook his head. "If Conan-kun's relative is only here for a limited time, we should let them bond together on their own, Ayumi-chan." "Che!" Genta frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, "Conan always gets the best adventures!"

Conan waved his hand in denial. "Maa, it's alright isn't it? You guys can just schedule a camping trip or something with Hakase and Haibara when they get back to make up for it."

"Really?" The three pounced on the promise immediately. "You can't get out of this one, okay?" Turning, Genta dragged Mitsuhiko out the door. "Come on then! We should go to somewhere we haven't gone to yet! I wanna eat something new!" "That's the only reason you're ever excited aren't you?"

Ayumi turned to follow the two boys, before bowing at Ken and smiled. "Goodbye then, Conan's Ken-nii-san!" Before Kaito could understand why his heart was thumping in glee at being _Conan's_ , the girl had clasped said boy's hands in her own, a move that Kaito had used on the boy just a few minutes earlier. "We'll see you then okay? Have fun!"

As the door closed on the blushing girl, Conan mumbled under his breath. "Thank God she didn't kiss me on the cheek this time."

Kaito twitched. _Hah?!_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Interruptions #2

Kaito heaved a deep breath when the two were on the train. After they finally managed to get out of the agency, Ken had pushed Kaito down, asking Conan mundane things and sharing stories just like an estranged cousin would. In the train however, Conan had been lulled to sleep almost immediately. Kaito briefly remembered that Conan wasn't able to drink any coffee, allowing the boy to sneak in a few more minutes of sleep as he contemplated his performance as Ken earlier.

He hadn't had as much time as he had that morning nearly breaking his character as he had the first time he tried impersonating someone. He was a professional dammit! Leaning his chin on his palm, Kaito continued observing the sleeping boy.

 _Then again, whenever Tantei-kun is around, I can never seem to hold on to a character for too long before he figures out that it was me behind the mask._

He frowned. Only this time, Tantei-kun was actually helping him keep that mask. So why was he so easily unnerved earlier?

 _Ugh. Whatever. As long as Tantei-kun doesn't bring it up, I'll be fine I guess._

Kaito suddenly realized that he was staring into Conan's opened eyes, the other boy looking amused at catching him off guard. "Ken-nii-san," and just like that, the mask was back on, "This is our stop. The carnival should just be a few streets away."

Ken allowed his cousin to lead the way to the carnival, paying for their entrance fee. Conan had looked excited at the place, eyes roaming at the different booths offering 'unsolvable puzzles' and other attractions. Ken allowed his cousin to drag him from booth to booth, snorting in amusement at the despair the booth owners showed when a seemingly pre-teen was able to defeat their puzzles easily.

Despite the ease of which he had finished nearly all the puzzles, Conan was having fun, though a bit embarrassed with the way a small crowd had started to follow them around as they visited each booth. Ken didn't mind the attention, laughingly narrating Conan's progress throughout the carnival. Feeling a bit sorry for the booth owners, Ken had managed to convince Conan to take a break and have lunch as they looked for a vacant seat among the occupied tables and chairs.

Claiming a vacant table that could seat at least 4 people, Ken left Conan to order their food and drinks, making sure to sneak in some sweets that he saw along the way. As he walked back to Conan, laden with the bunch of food, he nearly dropped them upon seeing two people seating with him.

He knew he shouldn't have left Conan. The boy didn't know when to shoo away unwanted interruptions, and he made a mental note to teach Conan how that. Right after he whisked away his cousin first, of course.

When he came nearer, depositing the food on the table, he groaned inwardly upon recognizing just who was sharing the table with Conan. Now he knew why Conan hadn't driven off them off.

"Hello there!" Ken greeted cheerfully. He dropped into the seat next to Conan, handing him a hotdog in a bun, before tilting his head quizzically to the interru-guests.

"Ah, Ken-nii-san, these are Takagi Wataru-san and Satou Miwaki-san. They're police officers, and they've helped me and the Detective Boys numerous time before!"

Ken went to offer his hand before remembering halfway and bowing instead. "I'm Kurosaki Ken, Conan's cousin! Thank you for taking care of him!" He chuckled, ruffling Conan's hair. "I know he gets in trouble more easily than most, so it's reassuring that there are people who look out for him."

Kaito didn't show the nervousness he felt as Satou-san's gaze sharpened on him. He didn't think that the lady would immediately think he's KID, but was probably only worried that he was some murderer in disguise. Takagi greeted him back, inquiring, "Conan's cousin? We didn't know he has any relatives in Japan."

Kaito laughed, "Ah, that's because nearly all of us are in America. Auntie would have liked to visit him personally, but she can't just leave her work behind." His laughter drifted off. "I'm not staying long either; I only have the weekend before I have to go back to the States as well."

Inwardly though, Kaito was panicking. While yes, he did respect the police officers, he wasn't ready to suddenly be questioned on his background! He was a relative; what was so hard to understand about that?!

He suddenly felt a small hand grip his knee. One finger started to tap rhythmically on it, while the other hand was nonchalantly holding a drink. Three taps, pause. Two taps and a slash, pause. Three taps, pause. A tap, two slashes, another tap, pause. One tap, pause. Tap, slash, tap, slash, pause. Slash, stop.

Ah, Morse code. The American version too. Kaito couldn't help but think that his tantei was thinking too much of him if he thought that Kaito would be able to understand the code. Well, he did, but that wasn't the point.

S-U-S-P-E-C-T.

Huh? Suspect what?

Seemingly reading his mind, Conan continued to speak through the code while Ken asked the police officers on stories of cases they dealt with Conan.

Takagi. Fingerprints. Conan. And. Shinichi.

Ah. That would explain why Takagi was suspicious of his character. If the man suspected that Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi were the same and had proof (Fingerprints?! Kaito was going to have a talk with his tantei-kun later.), a cousin of a supposedly nonexistent entity was more than suspicious. However, considering that the man trusted Conan enough to allow him to have his full control over a crime scene (Kaito had stalk—observed enough to know how much Takagi relied on his observations, as well as the woman beside him), he was probably willing to hold his thoughts on the matter and simply wait if Conan needed any help.

Kaito felt his respect for the humble man in front of him rise. Though he still wasn't appreciative of the fact that they were ruining his day with Conan.

"I'm just going to go to the toilet Ken-nii." Conan tugged at the sleeve of his jacket, and Kaito was slightly startled to find that Conan had left his hand on his knee the whole time even after he finished tapping out the code, only realizing it when the warmth left.

Poker Face demanded he mull that over for later though, so he smiled at Conan and watched him weave through the crowd.

He faced forward again though when Staou cleared her throat, and Kaito fought the urge to cower back at her glare. He leaned back a bit though, and asked hesitantly, "Is something wrong?"

The glare deepened.

"Kurosaki Ken." The woman placed her elbows on the table and steepled her fingers together. Kaito couldn't help the sweat from dripping down his forehead, feeling as if he was about to be interrogated.

"Conan-kun has been a great help to us. He has great observation skills, and is always ready to go beyond basic civilian duty when he can. He and the Detective Boys had earned their names, and the police force is fond of them, though we can't help but take special notice of Conan-kun more."

Ken kept his smile, even as Kaito's mind raced. Even though the Organization was no longer around and any stragglers were being hunted down easily, Conan had no desire to reveal to the public that he was Kudo Shinichi. It was a bit sad, with how the public had easily forgotten the famed Detective of the East, but with Conan's maturity, only his status as a relative was keeping the public from digging too deep into the story of Edogawa Conan, who was a dead ringer for a supposed cousin.

Kaito was stopped by his plotting when Satou-san slammed her hands on the table, leaning over it to glare at him.

"Especially when, for all intents and purposes, Conan-kun had been abandoned in Japan. 6 years!"

Kaito slumped, and Satou seemed to take it as sign of his defeat, nosy bystanders moving on when nothing more happened. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Kaito breathed out, relieved at keeping Conan's secret safe, but also pondered the situation. He could see how this deeply affected Satou-san. She was fond of children, and though her relationship with Takagi was going well, they hadn't made plans to marry yet, as Satou was still too dedicated with her job to consider it. However, her maternal instincts had probably awakened at Conan's continued recklessness, so her attachment to him was completely understandable.

If Kaito wasn't aware of Conan's true identity, he would probably be frustrated as well with the seeming appearance of relative of his favorite critic, who hadn't bothered to make contact with the child for a long time.

"Conan had always been independent. Too independent, actually. That, and combined with his genius, made him an easy target for bullying." Kaito weaved the story, taking bits and pieces from what he knew of Kudo Shinichi, and the attitude of Conan as a whole.

He could see a disbelieving eyebrow raise at the last part though, and Kaito knew what they were thinking. Bullied? The kid who could intimidate murderers with a glare, was a demon with anything kickable, and was a master escape artist with his skateboard?

He raised a challenging eyebrow back. "Conan will never fight back if it means hurting people he considered friends."

Satou grimaced at that seemingly remembering something, before she lowered back into her seat. Takagi placed a comforting hand on her back, but he was also downhearted.

"He didn't want to include us in the mess, so he just asked to go back to Japan, where Agasa was staying. He has made a life here, and we didn't want to force ourselves into that."

Despite knowing that it was just a cover story, Kaito couldn't help but feel how close it rang to the truth. Shinichi had disappeared, and Conan had taken his place. Conan can't have the same parents as Shinichi, and though Shinichi's parents never argued, Kaito wondered if the reason they didn't stay in Japan after the takedown was because they didn't fit in Conan's life.

Satou sighed. "We know that." She frowned at him, before smiling sadly. "It's just hard not to care for him, you know. We know he trusts us, but we can't seem to support him as much as he supports us."

Kaito smiled back. "As long as you're there for him, that would be enough. That's all we can really do."

As they steered the topic back on safe topics and Conan came back, there was no sign of the tense atmosphere earlier. Kaito didn't think about it anymore, as he became busy being pleased and annoyed in equal measure as they toured around the carnival with the two lovebirds.

The day ended with them staying at the hotel that Satou recommended, even helping them plan out their day tomorrow. Kaito dutifully noted down the places, if only to make sure to avoid them and prevent another day spent watching Conan keep up his cheerful act (though Kaito was intrigued to watch Conan go through the puzzles with the same ease he did earlier, no pretense of his intelligence despite their –unwanted—company).

He only remembered about their conversation again when Conan cornered him before going to bed (looking adorable in his matching pajamas, but Kaito can't say that out loud without fear of decapitation through soccer ball), and demanding to know what they had talked about when he was in the toilet.

Kaito hummed in thought, before saying, "They just really love you, you know."

Conan blinked twice, before the words sunk in his head and he blushed deeply, running to his bed and hiding his face in the blankets.

Kaito just snickered, tugging off his shirt and going to sleep in his pajama bottoms only. It was a pity he couldn't take a picture of that, but his phone memory was full, and he hadn't switched out a new SD card yet.

His last thoughts before drifting to sleep was, "No one had better be interrupting me with my tantei-kun tomorrow dammit."

* * *

A/N: I have no idea why this shifted from being funny to slightly emotional. Chibi-Satou just ran off with chibi-Conan with that plunny I swear.


End file.
